Versatile climbing vines the perfect cover story
Vines, versatile vines!
You've probably noticed that vines are "spreading" in popularity, showing up in garden magazines, beautiful landscapes and on trellises near you.
Vines are great for concealing eyesores, covering structures, and connecting other elements of the landscape.
To conceal the electric meter on a pole in front of our house, for example, my husband Don boxed in the pole with several sheets of lattice. He then cut a hole for reading the meter. A perfect support for vines, the lattice now holds an American wisteria, which is a more dependable bloomer here and is also less aggressive than the more common Japanese wisteria. Every summer, a dainty annual vine called climbing snapdragon shares space with the wisteria. Easy to grow from seed, this vine's bell-shaped blossoms can be blue, pink, violet, or white.
We also use vine-covered lattice panels to conceal two large tanks we use to store rainwater from the roof. Since both tanks are on the north side of the house, our choice of vines is limited to those that will grow in some shade. English ivy and a pretty variegated Virginia creeper named Star Showers are up to the job.
Hardscape features such as chain-link fences, garden arches, trellises and retaining walls always look best when covered with vines. The John Clayton honeysuckle vine that drapes itself over the arch at the entrance to my main garden is a real joy. I love its yellow blossoms, produced faithfully from June through frost, and also the steady parade of hummingbirds the flowers attract.
A host of annual vines, including cardinal climber, morning glory, cypress vine, sweet pea and purple hyacinth bean, beautify garden structures with color all summer.
Vines also offer the perfect way to visually connect the garden to the house or shed. If the structure is made with brick or stone, clinging vines such as trumpet vine or Boston ivy can safely climb the walls, provided the mortar is in good shape. If you have wood siding, grow your vines on trellises so they won't damage the walls.
Although most of us think of vines as climbing plants, they also make great ground covers. You could use a few clematis vines scampering across the ground, for example, to visually connect the garden to the surrounding landscape.
If you're waiting for an old stump to decay, you might allow vines to scramble over the stump to quickly turn the eyesore into a garden asset. Annual vines work best; when the stump disappears, the spot will be ready for a new planting.